Latest news with #InnovationAndTechnologyCommission
South China Morning Post
28-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
OASES drives growth in Hong Kong's innovation landscape by guiding tech companies into the city
Hong Kong has long been recognised as a global financial hub, but in recent years, it has also rapidly emerged as an innovation and technology (I&T) centre. The unique combination of world-class research and development (R&D) facilities, government initiatives aimed at developing I&T-related industries, and strategic connectivity to both mainland China and the rest of the world positions the city as an ideal launch pad for companies specialising in fields such as green technology and smart logistics solutions. The Hong Kong government is actively fostering an ecosystem tailored to grow the city's I&T prowess. Last September, the Innovation and Technology Commission introduced a HK$10 billion (US$1.27 billion) funding programme, the New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme (NIAS), for enterprises in the fields of life and health technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and data science, and advanced manufacturing and new energy technology that plan to set up smart production facilities in the city. Besides funding, Hong Kong's innovation infrastructure continues to expand, with facilities like the Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) at Tseung Kwan O InnoPark offering cutting-edge prototyping and production capabilities. This complements existing I&T hubs, including Cyberport and the Hong Kong Science Park, to collectively reinforce the city's commitment to hi-tech industrialisation. The Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) serves as a cornerstone of Hong Kong's I&T strategy. Established in 2022 following Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu's policy address, OASES focuses on attracting promising strategic enterprises from five industries, namely advanced manufacturing and new energy technology, AI and data science, financial technology, life and health technology, and cultural and creative. As of April, the office has successfully attracted 84 strategic enterprises, which are expected to invest HK$50 billion and create over 20,000 jobs in Hong Kong in the next few years. OASES actively engages with these companies before they enter Hong Kong and also offers various types of support during and after their entry. Such support can range from connecting companies with potential clients and partners to help grow their businesses to providing insights on the latest market trends and relevant government policies. Fourteen of these enterprises belong to the advanced manufacturing and new energy technology industry. Among them is Gotion, a company specialising in battery technology for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems. First established in 2006 in Hefei in eastern China's Anhui province, Gotion has since expanded its operations to eight R&D centres worldwide, including in the United States, Singapore and Japan. It is one of the largest EV battery manufacturers in the world and ranks sixth in the industry in terms of market share.
South China Morning Post
25-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
15 suspicious cases uncovered in Hong Kong tech voucher programme
Hong Kong authorities have referred 15 suspicious cases under a government subsidy scheme to law enforcement in the past three years, while also conducting random checks on 1,860 projects funded by the programme. Sun Dong, the secretary for innovation, technology and industry, in a written reply to questions by a lawmaker on Wednesday regarding the suspected abuse of the Technology Voucher Programme, said authorities would recover funding from applicants who were convicted in cases. The Innovation and Technology Commission introduced the subsidy scheme in 2016 to help local businesses and other organisations improve their operations through technological upgrades, with the programme ceasing to accept new applications after December 31, 2024. Police in 2024, however, had uncovered syndicate operations involving fraudulent applications in the scheme, with the alleged scams involving 50 applications to the programme. 'In the past three years, the [Technology Voucher Programme] Secretariat has conducted random on-site checks on 1,860 projects and referred 15 suspicious cases to law enforcement agencies for follow-up,' Sun wrote. 'The Secretariat will recover the funding from applicants convicted in the cases. As the investigations/judicial proceedings by the law enforcement agencies are still ongoing, we have no record of funding recovery for the time being.' Sun noted that to ensure the proper use of public funds, the programme's secretariat would 'rigorously' review the applications, final project reports and supplementary information submitted.
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong police arrest 9 in connection with HK$140,000 internship subsidy scam
Nine people, mostly university students, have been arrested in Hong Kong over an employment scam that allegedly defrauded the government of HK$140,000 (US$17,887) of subsidies through an internship programme. Advertisement Police said they received a report from a local university in November that a man had allegedly used two companies to falsely recruit eight students for short-term internship positions in the innovation and technology sector via the institution's job platform between 2023 and last year. But the students were never required to perform any actual work. Instead, they received salaries through bank transfers to create payment records. The man then instructed them to return the funds in cash, offering HK$500 to HK$1,000 as compensation for their transport expenses. The scheme enabled the companies to fraudulently claim HK$260,000 of government subsidies under the STEM Internship Scheme that the Innovation and Technology Commission launched in 2020. Of this amount, HK$140,000 had already been approved before the scam was uncovered. Advertisement Following a two-day operation on Wednesday and Thursday, officers arrested seven men and two women, aged 19 to 28, across various districts for conspiracy to defraud.
